Unexpected Places
by Kawaiibunnyhops
Summary: Cerin didn't like MMORPG's until his cousin, Mayla, asked for one. Kenna was looking for adventure and a good time. When these three meet in the game, Mayla wants Kenna as her bestie. Cerin and Kenna don't get very close, which suits them just fine. But when all Cerin holds dear is threatened, will he be able to cope on his own? Or will he need help from the most unexpected person?
1. Chapter 1

**Me: This is The Tiny Foxtail, mine, and Shadowninja2000's collab for Sword Art Online! If you don't know any of us, then search us. And if you haven't seen Sword Art Online, then watch it. This is based off the second arc of SAO, the ALfheim arc. I'm very excited and hope are too! Enjoy and please leave a review!**

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><p><strong>Mayla's POV<strong>

"But Cerin! My birthday is TOMORROW! It would just be a non-surprise gift!" I was sitting on my pink bed with my cousin, Cerin.

"I don't know, Mayla. Do you even have a NerveGear to play it with?" Cerin asked, looking down at me suspiciously. I froze. Actually, I didn't, but that didn't matter to anyone except Cerin, but he wouldn't care.

"Um...yes! Psht, of course I do! Who doesn't!" I said cheerily, even though it was obvious I was lying. He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Judging by your reaction, I'd guess...uh...you." Cerin said slowly. I huffed.

"But Cerin! I reeeaally want that game! Pleeease?"

"I realize you want the game Mayla, but you reeeaaaaally can't play it without a NerveGear." He crossed his arms. I put my elbows on my knees.

"So buy me one!" I said, lifting my head out of my hands. Cerin choked.

"Mayla! Those things are expensive as hell!" Then he froze and sighed. "Don't tell your parents I said that," he sighed, running a hand through his light blond hair. I rolled my dark purple-blue eyes.

"And don't repeat it either?" I asked. He grinned and ruffled my light brown hair.

"You got it down, girlie." I smacked his hand away viciously and patted down my hair. I put on my best begging face.

"Pleeease?" I asked, sticking my bottom lip out piteously. Cerin covered his eyes with his hands.

"Don't look at the eyes, don't look at the eyes, don't look at the ey-" he opened his eyes through his fingers and caught a glimpse of me. I turned the cuteness up full blast by making my eye as big as quarters. He groaned and dropped his hands, irritated.

"Fine. Damn you and all your adorable glory," he muttered. I grinned. "But you have to stop bugging me about it!" he insisted. I nodded.

"But...how are we going to keep it a secret?" I asked. Cerin's face split into a mischievous, boyish grin. He winked and ruffled up my hair. I pated it down again and frowned when he looked away to start explaining in front of my mirror in the right corner at the back of my room.

"Don't worry about it. Cousin Cerin's got it allll under control, girlie," he said charismatically. I scowled up at him and I slapped his hand.

"Don't call me that! I'm not that much younger than you are!"

"Oho, only five years. Look at you, growing up," he intoned dryly, cracking a half-grin.

"Don't go acting all superior, Mr. I-Don't-Have-My-License-Even-Though-I'm-Sixteen! And besides, I'm turning twelve!" I snapped. Cerin just laughed and ruffled my hair again. Then he ran when I started chasing him.

"_Next time he calls me girlie, I swear_… _and if he ruffles my hair!_" I thought as I ran down the stairs after Cerin. I successfully made it down the stairs, and just saw him rounding the corner into the dining hall. I scowled darkly and followed him, my mouth set in a pout. After dinner, before leaving, Cerin came up to my room. I was laying on the bed and glanced over at the open door before laying my head back down. A squeaking protest of the springs in my bed later, he was laying next to me.

"So, what's the plan?" We stared up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" I sat up on my elbows and looked at my cousin, laying on my left.

"Well, do you just want me to buy the gift in the morning or what?" He turned his head to face me.

"Mom and Dad will let me go with you but, I have to be back by eight." I slumped back down on my pillow.

"Well let's go then."

"Do you have a flashlight?"

"You are so lucky I do." I smiled up at the ceiling.

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><p>"Thanks again, Aunt Fauna, for letting me take Mayla with me." Cerin did a two-fingered salute as we walked out the door.<p>

"If she has a scratch on her when she gets back, you're gonna be tomorrow's lunch!" Dad called after us. Cerin chuckled and waved as we walked out the door into the damp darkness. Cerin stuck his hands in his pockets, whistling a nameless tune as we walked. He didn't seem perturbed at all by the darkness; nor did he take out the flashlight. I shivered, both from the cold and a little bit of fear. One glance up at my golden-haired cousin, though, reassured me that I would be safe with him.

"Are you going to call me your favorite cousin now?" Cerin asked, grinning down at me. His face was an eerie yellow under the streetlights we walked under, and it sent shivers down my spine. I looked out into the neighborhood and swore I saw a shadow move. I let out an involuntary squeak, and huddled closer to Cerin. Knowing well my fear of the dark, Cerin draped his well-muscled arm over my shoulders, reassuring me of his presence yet again.

"I think you're my only cousin, and you claimed the title friend." I said. I glanced up at his face. He wasn't listening to me any more, his attention on the small store in front of us.

"I hope the store's still open," he muttered. We walked up to a building, an oddly small shop with the name "Game Shop" in red lights on a sign above it. You could tell the shop was old, as the "a" and "o" were flickering, and the "e" had gone completely out.

"Now let's hope they still have the game, and a NerveGear." I pushed open one of the doors and above, a bell clanged.

"Welcome to Game Shop. We were about to close but you two came, so I won't mind staying open a bit longer. How can I help you?" a bald man with a white shirt and apron and pale brown pants came out from the back room to the counter putting his elbows on the counter and placing his head on his fists.

"We want the game ALfheim." Cerin always got straight to the point about things like this. The manager removed his elbows and I came up and put my elbows on the counter, laying my head in my hands.

"And a NerveGear." I added. The workman looked shaken. I looked around the store and, in the back of the room, found the game ALfheim on a golden shelf with green paint at the bottom to make grass and human sized fairies. I saw one fairy that I took great interest in.

"I'll get the game." I told Cerin, skipping to the back of the store. I hesitated before picking up the game. I also went around to the right side to examine the fairy. It looked slightly like a cat and I touched it.

"Mayla, c'mon. We can't be late," Cerin said, his voice echoing through the near-abandon building to reach me. I grabbed a game quickly and skipped back to the counter. I laid my head on my arms as I watched the clerk bag the things. Cerin dug his wallet out of his pocket and handed the man some money. The man's eyes widened at the amount there and he counted it. He gaped up at Cerin, who towered above him, but Cerin was absorbed in something else. The man shook his head and rung up the purchase.

"You have a beautiful name, miss." the clerk commented.

"Thank you, sir!" I grinned up at the attendant. The old man smiled down at me and handed the bag to my cousin, who took ot and slung it over his shoulder easily.

"Is she your sister?" he asked Cerin, pointing at me. I made a face: with my dark hair, nearly translucent skin, and small stature, I looked nothing like Cerin, except for our eyes, which were the same shade of purple-blue. Cerin shook his head solemnly, and a wave of hair floated over into his eyes. He blew it out of his face aggravatedly. "Oh, your girlfriend?" the man asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Oh, no! She's my cousin. Tomorrow is her twelfth birthday," Cerin replied good-naturedly, ruffling up my hair. The manager apologized but Cerin brushed it off, thanking the man and guiding me quickly out the door.

"He told me it was the last one. You are one special girl." Cerin ruffled my hair when we were a ways away from the shop selling games. I smacked his hand roughly, and Cerin stuck his hand back in his pocket. We walked in silence to my house, which was really not that far away. Cerin opened the door and paused outside, looking up at the ceiling. With what sounded like a very doleful sigh, he walked in with me. Cerin's mother immediately ran over to him, fussing over his hair and telling him how dangerous it was to be outside when it was that dark and what if something had happened to him, she would never forgive herself and how he should tell her when he was going out, especially with a little girl to protect when he could barely protect himself and oh, how glad she was he was safe. She hugged him close and I could almost feel him roll his eyes. Cerin was not a person that enjoyed being doted upon; Cerin's mom was a very doting mother. Cerin was more like his father; aloof, willing and able to serve others, even if he wasn't always...the most stable person in the world, and willing to commit, but only to the person that will love and take are of him in ways he could never ask for.

"Oh, and Mayla! I'm so glad you're all right, too. With all the lunatics out there nowadays, how could your parents feel that you were absolutely safe out there?" she asked, pulling me into a hug. I squirmed my way out of her hug and smiled politely.

"Well, I suppose we have more faith in Cerin than you do, Leann," my father said, standing up from the table. My aunt stood up briskly and glared at my father. Cerin gave me an exasperated look and his mother took his arm possessively. Cerin sighed and rolled his eyes, saying a toneless goodbye to my parents and giving me an affectionate hair ruffle before his mother tugged him out the door without saying goodbye to my parents. I trudged up the stairs to my room, suddenly tired. I laid in my bed and thought about what tomorrow would hold.

**The next day...**

"Play safe!" Mom yelled after me. I closed the door and went out into the yard and climbed over the white painted fence, jumping into the field behind our yard.

"Got the present?" I asked Cerin, sitting next to him. We were in the middle of the field so no one would see me go.

"Do you have your stuff?" Cerin asked, looking through my bag.

"Yep! And I left the note on the coffee table like you said." I hugged Cerin. "I'm going to miss you."

"Why? I'm going with you." He looked down at me. I returned his look, even though mine was confused.

"But you don't have a game!" My eyes widened as he took two games out of the large birthday bag. A grin graced his face, lighting up his eyes as he handed one to me and kept one for himself.**  
><strong>

"How'd you get that!" I said in a hushed whisper. He shrugged.

"I got it when I was littler. Anyways!" Cerin placed the NerveGear on my head over my unruly curly hair.

"Did you ever play it?!" I asked incredulously, batting at his hands to get them away.

"No." Cerin replied, putting on his NerveGear.

"So how do I put the game in?" I asked, tracing random swirls on the cover of the game.

"Leave it to me." Cerin gently removed the game from my hands and started to insert it into my NerveGear.

"Why isn't anything happening" I looked up at Cerin.

"Crap," he looked over at me. "These have to be plugged in."

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><p><strong>Me: That's it! Thanks for reading and please leave a review!<strong>

**Mayla: And keep reading to see what happens next! But this time, it's from Cerin's point of view!**

**Me: So review and keep reading! Next chapter by Ninja!**


	2. Chapter 2: Cerin the Fighter

**Shadow: *stumbles into room* LOOK. PEOPLE. WHAT ARE PEOPLE? *dies* Sorry for that long hiatus I had going on for...everything ^.^' Sorry 'bout that. *nervous laugh* Anyways, I'm back and I have a chapter for you! Read and review at the end! Thanks!**

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><p><strong>Cerin's POV<strong>

I yawned, resting my head in my arms. Class was so boring, even as a transfer student.

_Plunk!_

I blinked, sitting up straight. Something had just hit the back of my head; a spitball, if I was correct. I looked over my shoulder to see a blue-haired boy in the back leaning back in his chair, his feet up on his desk. He winked at me. I stared back. The blunette offered my a quick smile before nodding up at the intercom. I looked up, trying to ignore the dripping black slime that I'm sure was caused by my imagination. I looked back to the boy. He held up five fingers, then four, then three, then two, and, finally, one, before balling his hand into a fist just as the bell rung to signify the end of class. The boy dropped his feet off to one side of his desk, his chair snapping back to the floor. He slipped out of his chair with ease, throwing a backpack on over his shoulder. I shook my head, swiping my things into my backpack.

"You're the newbie, eh?" I looked up into two dark brown orbs, my face breaking into a grin.

"Newbie? Personally, I prefer the term 'green'," I remarked, smiling at the person. He gave me a blank look before his face split into a boyish grin, laughter passing his lips. He wrapped an arm around his torso, stumbling backwards and into a desk, laying out on top of it as he laughed dramatically. I chuckled, slinging my backpack over my shoulders and striding over to his side. He choked suddenly, his eyes going wide as he sat straight up, coughing his heart up.

_Coughing his heart up._ The boy held the organ in his hands, looking at it with an exhausted expression.

My eyes went wide and I stumbled backwards, running into and toppling over desks at complete random. I landed heavily on the floor, my heart racing.

_People can cough up their hearts?! I thought that was a video game thing!_ I panted, staring at the toppled-over desks in my path. Suddenly, a blue head poked up over one of the desks, the person looking down at me. I stared up at him, uncomprehending. He gave me a weird look.

"You a germaphobe or something? It's not contagious, calm down. This cough isn't caused by germs." A pained look crossed his face before flicking away and he grinned down at me, extending a hand. "Need help?" I stared at his hand for a moment, my mind trying to work through the fact that I'd just seen this person cough their heart up and hold it in their hands, but he was now offering to help me stand up.

"Y-Yeah, thanks," I murmured automatically, taking his hand and standing. He grinned, slapping my back good naturedly. The teacher gave us both concerned looks and the person waved as he slung an arm around my shoulder.

"No worries, teacher, he's just a little excitable is all!" The person said cheerily, his voice a lower pitch than it was earlier. He cleared his throat, flicking a tongue out across his lips and sighing, shoving me out the door. "C'mon man, let's get you home. Say, what's your name?"

"Cerin. Cerin Legane," I said, looking sideways at my accompaniment. He nodded.

"Cool name. I'm Akira Evans, freelance hacker for any of your techie problems." He gave me a wink. "Nice to meet you!" he exclaimed. I smiled, laughing.

"You, too."

"So brother, what made you go all loopy back in class there? You screamed like a little girl and toppled backwards into those desks! It was funny, thanks for the entertainment, but what happened?" Akira gave me a slightly amused look, blowing a wave of blue hair out of his eyes and hooking his thumbs around the straps of his backpack. He turned around backwards, speeding up to walk in front of me, his back hitting the door and opening it. I grunted, shielding my eyes as the sunlight proceeded to blind me.

"Oh? That, that was nothing, I just saw something that wasn't there," I said quickly, waving my hands in front of me. "I'm not insane or anything, it's been happening my whole life, it's nothing major, I swear," I stammered out as he moved away from me a little. His eyebrows laced together, staring at me for a second before nodding and whirling around, striding forward while still nodding. I lengthened my strides a bit to catch up with him.

"So, Cerin...You live around here?" Akira asked, looking back at me. I shook my head.

"Not really," I said casually. "Normally, I hitchhike up here. My parents are...hesitant to let me drive." I shrugged. Akira laughed.

"Yeah, my parents were pretty protective of me, too. Well, that was until we adopted Yami." He laughed. "They let me drive as soon as I got my license after we got her." I smiled.

"Is Yami your dog's name?" Akira stopped in his tracks, looking over at me mechanically. I blinked, taking a half step back. "Is that a no on the dog name?" A smile twitched at Akira's mouth and he chuckled.

"Well, Yami is my little sister." My jaw dropped askew.

"Oh...um...sorry," I said, laughing awkwardly and scratching the back of my head. Akira waved it off.

"It's fine," he said, adjusting his backpack and grinning across at me. "You need a ride home?" he asked airily, stopping. I stopped as well, looking at him suspiciously.

"Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

I raised an eyebrow, "We just met, what, ten minutes ago? How do you know I'm not some sort of murderer or something? How do _I_ know _you_ aren't a murderer?" Akira merely laughed, shaking his head and patting my back patronizingly.

"Yes, Cerin, because I totally believe either of us is a killer. In fact, I have a twelve-inch knife in my backpack right now!" he exclaimed facetiously, slinging his backpack off his shoulders and unzipping a pocket, pretending to rummage around inside. He rolled his eyes, zipping the pocket back up and shaking his head at me. "Do I look like a murderer to you?" he asked, brown eyes shining with badinage. I sighed, smiling. Something told me Akira and I were going to become good friends.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Cerane? Is that correct?" the computer voice intoned in my head. I nodded, hitting the green button with a circle on it. I closed my eyes, my mind going fuzzy for a second before sharpening again. I breathed in sharply, cracking one eye open cautiously. I opened the other eye, blinking slowly a couple times as I took in the sandy area around me. I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand. I stretched my arms above my head, leaning back slightly and yawning.

"Just transporting into the game takes something out of you," I muttered, rotating my arm to loosen up the muscles. I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, looking around for my little cousin; no sign of a dark-haired pixie who was the reason I was here in the first place. I narrowed my eyes, shielding them from the sun with my right hand. Nothing except unnaturally yellow sands as far as I could see. I scowled. Not that that was fa-

"Wait." My eyes widened, taking in more of the landscape. _Taking in more of the landscape!_ A grin wormed its way onto my face, a deep chuckle escaping my throat. "I can see!"

It's not like I was blind before, per say. I _had_ glasses, but I didn't wear them. They made me look dorky. I didn't need help with that one. I shook my head to clear the thoughts. What I needed to do was focus on finding Mayla; I only got into this game to protect her, and then I'd gone and lost her. I groaned, smacking a hand to my face and sliding it down slowly. I needed to get it together if I planned on keeping Mayla from getting hurt in this game.

The problem being, I didn't know where I was, nor where I needed to be. Lovely.

"Cerin!" I, startled, looking around quickly.

"Huh?" I looked down and all around, a bleak, sandy desert being the only thing I saw.

"Ceriiin!" a high-pitched voice whined. I pinched my eyebrows together, squinting to see something I may have overlooked. And overlooked her I had. She was small in real life, but here in the game, she was maybe as big as my hand, and even that may have been a bit of a stretch. My face broke into a mischievous grin and I dropped to my hands and knees to see her.

"Oh, Mayla, didn't see ya there," I said, smiling. She gaped at me, her tiny eyes wide with disbelief.

"Why aren't you tiny, too?" she shrilled, her voice going up an octave from where it normally was. I shrugged.

"Maybe the game translates size in real life," I said, trying to contain my laughter.

"That's not funny, Cerin!" she reprimanded, fluttering up to sit right in front of my face. I laughed, rolling backwards so I was on my back and laughing at the artificial sky. "It's not that funny! Stop it, Cerin, you meanie!" Mayla whined. I sat up on my elbows, wiping tears of joy from my eyes.

"Okay, okay," I gasped out. "I'm sorry, Mayla." She huffed.

"No, you're not. Look, you're still laughing at me!" she accused. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and sitting up. I smiled at my little cousin.

"Alright, Mayla, I'm sorry." With a smile of forgiveness, Mayla fluttered over to sit on my shoulder. I chuckled, getting to my feet.

"So, what do you do? Is there an advantage to being so very small now?" I asked genuinely. Mayla bypassed the teasing to the question I asked.

"Yeah. There are lots of things I can see. This isn't just a world, there's all types of scanning data, and it's constantly shifting and changing," she said slowly, looking around as if seeing the place for the first time. I hummed, looking around.

"That's interesting. Ya know, I have a friend in real life, goes to my school, he's a hacker type. I can ask if it's got something to do with that, if you wanna," I offered. Mayla nodded, clapping her hands together with a smile.

"Okay! Let's go!"

"One question before we begin, though," I said, holding up a finger and looking at Mayla. She looked at me with interest. "Where are we?"

"Oh, that's easy," Mayla chirped. "We're in the middle of a desert area owned by the Salamander. Judging by the looks of you, you're the reason we're here. You're a Salamander, right?" I nodded.

"Yup. Sure am. At least, I think that's what I clicked." Mayla waved a hand around in the air as if to clear it.

"Don't worry about it. What we need to do is fly...northwest. That should take us to Gadan, the Salamander territory capital." She nodded briskly, hopping lightly off my shoulder and fluttering in the air in front of me. She gave a bright smile and I returned it, pinching her cheek. She squealed, batting at my hand with both of hers and she laughed.

"So, how do you fly, exactly?" I asked curiously, placing a hand on my hip. Mayla screwed up her face, concentrating.

"Extend your hand out in front of you, then pull it back and into a fist at the same time. Can you do that?" I did so, and something resembling a joystick appeared in the palm of my hand. "Grab it, and concentrate on getting off the ground. There's a simpler way, but matter this first, okay?" Mayla said, floating idly in the air. I nodded, having the joystick. I felt somewhat lighter than normal and looked over my shoulder to see a pair of magnificent, red, gold-streaked wings extending from my back. A smile swept across my face.

"They're lovely," I murmured, shifting the joystick around in my hand to make the wings flutter. Mayla giggled.

"Just pull it towards you to rise, push it away to descend, press the button to accelerate and move it around to change where you're looking. Pretty simple, right?"

"In theory. We'll see about it practice, won't we, cuz," I chuckled. I headed the controller, pulling it towards me. As I did, I felt myself being lifted off the ground. I looked down to see the sand a couple inches below me, my feet in midair. I pushed the controller forward a bit, expecting my wings to respond and let me move forward.

Instead, I fell flat on my face, getting a mouthful of sand. Mayla laughed.

"Alright, clumsy Cerin, get off the ground. Well with on it some more later. Right now, just walk to Gadan. It's not too, too far."

So she thought. Some three miles later, I was limping into Gadan, the bustling and surprisingly sand-free capital of the Salamander territory.

"How did I even get blisters on my feet?" I grumbled, putting a hand on a wall and alternatively hoping from one for to the other. Mayla just shrugged. I gave her a smile.

"Some help you are as an AI," I smirked, pinching her cheek. She chuckled, shoving my hand away with her tiny little hands. I laughed as she fluttered over to sit on my shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat in the shade my head provided.

I wasn't sure where to go, exactly. So I wandered, looking at various shops and places. I noticed one with swords. Lots of swords, a couple of which I bought with money, the likes of which I had no idea where it came from.

And that was when I saw her. Kenna. Although, at the time, I didn't know her name.

I'd never really noticed girls before. Sure, they were pretty and sweet, for the most part, but, due to some issues I had- well,_ have- _I'd never really gotten close to any. If noticed very few that stuck out from the crowd until that point. But Kenna was definitively different than any other girl in the game, or really any girl you'd ever meet.

Had I known what I was going to get into, maybe I would've just walked away, ignored the beautiful sight that was her and that strong beauty. Then again, probably not.

My mind went on autopilot for a minute. I couldn't tell you how I got over to her amongst the hustle and bustle of Gadan, couldn't tell you what she was buying our anything, really. She was just...lovely. I couldn't describe it, and I was completely okay with it. So, somehow, I got over to her and got her attention. Looking back on it, I took an idiotic approach to meeting her, even for me. No hello, no exchange of names, just...idiocy.

"You're beautiful."

Needless to say, she punched me.

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><p><strong>Shadow: WELL HUR DIDDLY DUR. There we go. You're up, Foxtail! *throws sword at screen* See ya!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Kenna the Flyer

**Ninja: PFFFFTTTTT LOL.**

**Cerin: *sigh***

**Ninja: SHE PUNCHED YOU RIGHT SMACK-DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FACE**

**Cerin: *rubbing nose offendedly* Yes and it hurt. A lot.**

**Ninja: XD**

**Mayla: Rambles aside, read and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Kenna's POV<strong>

The boy careened backward, my fist connecting with his face before I had truly thought my actions through. Who just came up to a girl and told her she was pretty in a game like this? Although… who just punched a guy for complementing her? Me… I guessed.

He stumbled, tripping over a rock behind him and in a valiant display of effort, tried to keep himself upright. He failed, miserably might I add, collapsing as a splat on the ground with a groan.

I almost felt the need to laugh, although suddenly it seemed all eyes in the city were on me and this… jerk of a boy. All passerbys had stopped, staring at him, and then up to me. I cowered under the attention, hurriedly turning back to the merchant to grab the items I'd purchased.

"Thanks, I'll be back… or maybe not," I said in embarrassment, tilting my head downward and trying to avoid glances as I handed him the necessary payment. How awful.

The boy rolled over, something small fluttering up from his form. It giggled, pointing down at him before slapping its hand over its mouth. "Oh, sorry, are you okay, Cerin?" It continued to giggle, and the boy glared up at it. It was a pixie… of sorts.

I adjusted the load of crystals and potions I had purchased, trying not to meet eyes of the crowd of now whispering pedestrians as I uncaringly stepped over the boy. Who cared? He'd pick himself up and then go hit on some other girl. He'd be fine. Maybe a little bruised, but fine nonetheless.

"Hey, hey wait!" he called from the ground. My eyes widened and I picked up my pace, trying my best not to break into a run. I was sure a guy like him would like nothing more than to see the girl he was after run away because of his doing. He just wanted a rise out of me, I was sure. If he couldn't get a date, he just wanted to upset me. That's how all guys were. They got off on getting a reaction out of girls.

I looked straight forward, trying to pretend I didn't hear him calling after me, or his hard footsteps on the pavement. I had blinders on, only interrupted as the pixie, which had been laughing at him, zoomed into my view, flying backwards as she waved a hand at me. "Hey, he's a nice guy, really. Although, no introductions first was kind of a little forward," she giggled. "I probably would've been surprised too." She smiled at me and I slowed to a stop.

I'd never seen an in-game pixie before. There'd been rumors of Artificial Intelligences in the form of Navigational Pixies going around, although I figured they were all hype. However, if they weren't, I really wanted one of my own. They were helpful and smart, not to mention incredibly cute. I had the urge to reach out and pinch her cheek but abstained. She didn't belong to me. She belonged to the weirdo who'd called me beautiful. Ick.

I cocked my head at her, just in time for his footsteps behind me to catch up. He was panting as he approached, putting his hands on his knees and swallowing before he looked up at me with a forced smile. "Hey, hey, sorry 'bout that. Just…you really are beautiful."

Maybe I had been raised in a family with manners beyond this boy's comprehension…no one just came up and said someone was good-looking without first knowing the person. I was taught it was rude A- to not introduce yourself to a stranger before anything else and B- to invade what some call a "personal bubble" not only in physical space but in the intimacy of the comment. Calling someone pretty without knowing them was rude. Beyond rude. Kinda creepy. Especially in a game like this. He was probably some seventy year-old man trying to get something out of me.

My face cringed in disgust as I looked the boy over. Ew… He straightened, holding out a hand. "Hey, I'm Cerane," he said, nodding up to his name bar above his head. "But someone as beautiful as yourself can call me Cerin." He sent me a wink I was positive he meant to be charismatic but really just creeped me out further.

I ignored his hand, instead backing away a pace and quickly bringing up my menu. If I put these items into my storage I could fly away from this undoubted rapist much faster. I wasn't entirely sure how I'd gotten from thinking he was rude to a potential threat to my chastity but I had… he was just a freak. Red hair with yellow streaks, closely resembling lightning bolts. I mean, who did that? He had to have chosen that for his avatar and just…his taste was off.

Plus, he was dressed in all red and in Salamander territory, so he was most likely a Salamander. They were rude and boisterous on average. It wasn't a good idea to get into friendships with them. There'd been many rumors of Salamanders stabbing their comrades in the back, and in the literal sense, during battle.

It was really best not to associate with them.

He looked dissatisfied when I made no attempt to tell him my name. The tiny pixie floated over next to me, leaning forward with a smile. "Hi, I'm Mayla."

I looked up to her, depositing my items quickly. Indeed Gadan _did _have some very unique items. A friend had tipped me off that the capitals always had exclusive items and at least this one had. I personally belonged to the Pooka province and felt much more comfortable in places… greener and livelier than this one. It was desert, dry and rather drab. Although, it fit the Salamander image to a tee. "AI's have names?" I asked her, curious.

She giggled as if I'd told a joke. "No, silly, I'm not an AI." She twirled around once in the air before giving me a wink. "I'm a player just like you."

I stared. "Really? I didn't see pixie as an option when signing up…"

She shook her head, looking a little depressed as her wings drooped. "It's not…I was just kinda...like this whenever I logged in. Glitch maybe?" She laughed awkwardly, as if she was trying to make the best of the situation.

"That's interesting," I mumbled, chewing the inside of my cheek. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I think you're quite cute as a fairy." Her face lit up slightly and she gave me an excited nod, twirling in the air once again.

"Don't you think! I think being small will have its perks," she nodded. "Although, traveling could get tiring…."

"You could probably hitch rides on people, or animals, or really much of anything. Who knows, you're so small a light breeze might blow you all the way to Imp territory," I laughed. "Do you have a flight timer?"

She nodded, looking as if she wasn't sure whether to take my comment on her size as an insult or a good-natured joke. "I do, although I believe it may be longer than average. I think I have pretty much everything normal players have… just a size difference."

"Well, I think your avatar is adorable. I'm a bit jealous," I said, giving her a nod and she brightened.

There was a loud noise as Cerin cleared his throat. He looked wearily over to us and my eyes narrowed. I'd almost forgotten he was there in my excitement over Mayla. She seemed so nice…why was she traveling along with this dimwit? "Hey, still here, y'know," he said awkwardly. "Although, I am glad you're getting along."

"Well, I should be going," I sniffed, turning on my heel and sticking my nose into the air. I would _not _dignify his existence. Not after the weird stunt he pulled. He was definitely an old man in real life. Or a serial killer. Or just a real jerk.

I'd honestly never cared much for boys. Girl power was the way to go. Many girls thought that way although I assumed I was the one who took it to the highest extremes. I didn't like boys. They were gruff and violent and self-centered. I generally avoided them when I could, instead making friends with girls who understood me much easier. However, in games such as this one I had interacted with many males–mainly because most shop-keepers and many business owners were male- and it hadn't been too bad. Not my cup of tea, but not too bad. And then this jerk had to come along and remind me why I disliked boys so much. What a drag.

"Hey, wait!" both of them said at the same time, although Mayla acted first, fluttering over to me hurriedly.

"Here, let's add one another," she chirped excitedly, pulling up her own menu.

"Sure thing," I replied. It might be nice to have her registered in my friends list. She was sweet, and honestly it might be fun to team up and travel with her someday. Maybe she'd eventually find out what glitch or whatever had assigned such a tiny avatar to her. A tiny screen popped up in front of me. _'User: Mayla wishes to become friends: Accept or Deny?' _I quickly pushed the green accept button and with a blink, Mayla was added to my list.

"Yay," she clapped to herself. Something told me she was a newer user to the game and hadn't added too many friends yet.

"Hey, don't hesitate to call me or message me or whatever," I said, giving her a thumbs up. "I'd love to quest together sometime. Oh and by the way, although I'm pretty sure you've seen my name, I'm Jasmine." I looked over to Cerin with a glare. I was not about to give out my real name when _he _was around. I would've been happy to exchange it with Mayla but not with _him_. With a nod I turned again, and just as I'd expected, Cerin called.

"Hey, what about me?" I looked over my shoulder to see him grinning cockily. Ten to one he used that smile when winning over girls. Disgusting.

I shrugged. "Nah, I'm good."

He looked dissatisfied, although not discouraged. He sauntered my way, holding out his hand once again. "Oh c'mon, _Jasmine._" He apparently found it amusing that I hadn't given my real name. God, he was annoying. "We may not have gotten off on the best of feet. However, I would love to change that. Let's start over?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head and turning to leave once again. "No thanks." I sent a wave behind me and with a skip, summoned my wings. Although I didn't know him, he seemed like the persistent type, at least when it came to women. He would chase after me, most likely, however I was confident I could outfly him. I was fast. Mayla seemed a little new to the game, and so did he, so most likely they hadn't been playing for long, therefore, hadn't been able to practice flying. Although I hadn't been playing for too long, I had focused almost all of my energy at first on mastering flying. I had gotten good at it, if I did say so myself.

I peered over my shoulder, and sure enough he was jogging after me. He had the joystick in his hand… and he jumped… _splat. _A loud laugh burst from my lips as I wavered in the air, clutching my stomach in hilarity as I flew away. Oh man, served him right. I'd probably never see him again but I'd definitely remember that fall. It was of legendary proportion. He was face-down in the streets of Gattan, and I was positive that satisfying image would stay in my brain forever.

My laughter died down as I slowly made it out of Salamander territory. I was planning on heading over to Sylph territory next. I pulled up my map, before cursing aloud. I'd been in such a hurry to get away from Cerin that I'd gone in completely the wrong direction. I was headed toward the Imp's area now… the opposite direction. I'd been in Imp land yesterday, checking for exclusive items. I slowed to a halt, descending quickly to the ground and landing on an oversized rock.

Yes, the large boulders underneath me should've been clue one that I was going in the wrong direction. I put my hands on my hips, turning back to face Salamander land with a sigh. I could still see the capital. Maybe there was a lot of desert in between, but the flat sands made it so that monumental city stood out even at a far distance.

With a yawn I shook my head to myself. I couldn't believe I'd made such a trivial error. Going back now not only would be shameful, because I'd probably meet Mayla and Cerin again after I'd flown away just a little while earlier, but I'd also have to be subjected to his feeble attempts at flirting with me. Ew.

I'd log out now, in Imp land since they were relatively calm, and when I logged back in the next day I could fly over to Sylph territory like I'd planned before. I gave myself a nod before quickly clicking the log out button.

The fantastical world of Alfheim flickered before dimming out, the familiar sounds of my own home making it to my ears.

"Dinnertime, Kenna!" I heard my mother call from down the stairs, her voice muffled through my bedroom door.

"Coming!" I replied. Woo, perfect timing.

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><p>I stretched, doing a few slow exercises to get myself warmed up for the lengthy flight ahead of me. Passing from one territory into the next wasn't too big of a deal. It did take a while, as Alfheim was quite extensive, although it was a day trip. However, I'd be going over two, all the way to the Sylph's land. My timer could make it to Gadan again, and with a quick rest stop, I'd fly out to Swilvane, the Sylph capital. I smiled in excitement as I hopped out to fly again. I wondered what types of items they had there….<p>

Ultimately, I'd wished I'd chosen to be a Sylph. I'd had zero gaming experience before this, and the Pooka clan looked pretty enough, so I'd picked that one. I didn't regret it, rather I'd just grown fond of the Sylphs. Every single one I'd met seemed nice, and they lived in one of the prettiest territories, at least if the map pictures did it justice.

The flight was a quiet one, my mind full of excitement as I took in the beautiful landscape around me…which quickly turned rather dull as yellow and white dunes became constant. I frowned as sand whipped me in the face. It'd been surprising to me, how much sand stung, whenever I'd flown there yesterday, but today it was just more of an annoyance.

Just as I'd expected, as my flight timer slowly turned red, Gadan grew ever-closer, until I landed gracefully at the entrance to the city. At a quick pace I made my way into the crowds.

Races weren't usually seen too far out of their territories, mainly because fights and Player Killing happened more frequently in a place a player wasn't familiar with. Not to mention the Salamanders were just a volatile bunch to begin with. However, I hadn't experienced any trouble so far in my little journey around Alfheim… which was granted, rather new, but still…

I shimmied around people, trying not to bump into anyone or attract any unnecessary attention… which was all broken as an unfortunately familiar voice called out to me. "Hey, beautiful! Back for more?"

I froze in my tracks, mechanically turning around to give the most heated glare I could muster in the boy's direction. Was this seriously happening? Was this _seriously _really happening to me right now? The capital city was _huge _and I was being quick and quiet and yet I'd managed to run into _him _again. What had I done to anger the gaming gods? What had I done to deserve this horrible punishment?

"Oh h*** no," I half whined, half hissed. "Not you again."

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><p><strong>Cerin: Hah.<strong>

**Ninja: She called you a rapist what do you have to be laughing about?**

**Cerin: T-T I tried to forget about that.**

**Ninja: HAH. For more fun reading times, review please! The next chapter belongs to Dit!**


	4. Chapter 4: Mayla the Pixie

**Me: This is Chapter 4 for my collab with Shadow-chan and Foxtail-sama, Unexpected Places.**

**Mayla: Yay! Read and pretty please REVIEW!**

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><p><strong>Mayla's POV<strong>

I clapped my tiny hands.

"Yay," I exclaimed. "Jasmine's back!" She smiled kindly at me but turned a cold stare at Cerin. Pulling me asked by a small elbow, Jasmine put me in her hand and gave me a concerned look.

"Why are you still hanging out with that perv?" She asked. I tilted my head, a little confused by her comment.

"Come with me," She said. "We're far enough away that he won't see us leave but close enough we can see him if he follows us." I was still confused. Had Cerin creeped her out this much? And she thought I was a victim of his nonsense? I raised an eyebrow.

"We can't just leave him here!" I complained. "That's mean and wrong, since he's so new." I fluttered up out of her hand, crossing my arms. Now it was Jasmine's turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?" I waved away her question and fluttered back over to Cerin, sitting on his shoulder.

"Can we go shopping yet?" I asked. "Or work on your flying?" Cerin sighed. I had wanted to go shopping yesterday too, but we didn't have time. After the encounter yesterday, we had almost immediately logged out, Cerin really bummed out that Jasmine didn't have the same reaction as he did. I rolled my eyes at the thought. What he did yesterday had been stupid. Had he deserved what he got yesterday? Maybe. But should I leave him because of all of the dumb things he did? Absolutely not.

"Mayla? What's going on in that little head of yours?" Cerin's voice startled me so much, I almost fell off his shoulder.

"Do you need to log out and take a nap?" He asked. I shook my head, giggling.

"So, what are we doing first?" I asked.

"Not shopping." He grumbled.

"Oh, so you're willing to practice flying?" He shook his head and rolled her eyes. Jasmine suddenly cleared her throat loudly. I looked over at her and giggled. We always did this when people were around and forgot they were there.

"Sorry." I said, smiling. "This happens a lot." We walked down the street, Jasmine mumbling about regrets and stuff. I sat perched on Cerin's shoulder and looked at all the people and the red buildings and scenery. I wondered why there were so many people in this desert land. Most of them, if not all of them, probably preferred grassy places where there was a definite water source. I suddenly wondered how you, if you could, check the time in the real world, like if you had something planned. But why would you play a game if you had something important planned? Cerin cleared his throat and I looked up at him.

"What?" He sighed and crossed his arms, a look of annoyance crossing his face.

"What do you want to shop for?" Jasmine asked. "I can pay for you." Then she glared at Cerin. I looked at my wrist, pretending to check the time.

"How about we go shopping after getting a bite to eat?" Jasmine nodded, smiling down at me.

"Great idea!" She said. I made a plan in my mind to see if Jasmine could travel with us or at least give us some tips on helpful items, battle strategies, and flying tips and strategies. After seeing her fly away yesterday, I wanted to fly too but Cerin refused almost immediately, saying it was getting late and we should probably go back to the real world. I had sighed but agreed and after we logged out, Mom had called us down for dinner. I knew that if we were late, she would come check my room and see us playing and I didn't want Cerin to get in trouble, especially since it was my fault.

"Since it's time to eat here," I wondered. "Does that mean it's time to eat in the real world?" Cerin shrugged, almost knocking me off his shoulder.

"How about I log off and see?" Jasmine and Cerin both nodded so I opened my screen. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, you should probably log off too." They nodded again and I logged off.

When I opened my eyes, I was on my pink bed next to Cerin's still body. I wondered if he would feel it if I nudged him, but I didn't want to take the chance.

"Mayla!" Mom called from downstairs. "It's time for lunch!" I frowned. How was I going to stall for ten minutes?

"Okay, Mom!" I called down. "Let me just wash my hands and wake Cerin up from his nap!" That was a dumb excuse. Everyone in the family knew that Cerin didn't take naps and especially not when it was so close to eating. Can I pretend to wash my hands for a long time? Would anyone believe that? After all, I hadn't done anything outside or messy all day. I shook my head; no one would believe any of this. Apparently, I had been thinking too long in front of my door and my mom came out, eyebrows raised.

"Did you wake him up yet?" I shook my head. She shooed me and I went back in my room, sighing. And fortunately, Cerin gasped, his eyes opening. I smiled at him and he grinned back through his visor.

"Lunchtime." I said. I got up and went downstairs, Cerin trailing behind me.

All through lunch, I thought about who Jasmine was in real life. Did she act the same? Did she look the same? Was Jasmine really her name? Mom looked over at me.

"Eat." She said. I nodded but still didn't eat a lot. Where did she live? How did she feel about us? Did her parents know she had the game? I wondered if we should go back on today.

"I'll need you two to do some chores after lunch." Mom said. I shook my head. Chores meant we wouldn't be able to have any fun until at least dinnertime, which was six hours from now. I sighed an pushed my chair out, picking up my untouched plate. Cerin took it and starting eating it so I picked up his plate and started washing it off. The chores had just begun.

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><p><strong>Me: And done. I'm sorry if this chapter was scattered and didn't have a lot of JasmineKenna in it but I wasn't really in the element so...you'll just have to deal with it. Check out my, Shadow-chan's, and Foxtail-sama's profiles. And REVIEW!**


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